Swedish Blog

Loud noise. The lawnmower, the vacuum cleaner, your motorcycle. Loud noise is all around us, yet much of the time we are so used to it that we don’t give it much thought. But at high levels, the force of sound vibrations can damage tiny cells inside our inner ear. Here’s how to protect your ears.

From the advent of reliable anesthetics in the mid-19th century until only a few years ago, conventional open surgery involving a long incision had been virtually the only tool for curative treatment of cancerous and pre-cancerous tissues of the GI tract. Since then, we’ve moved to minimally invasive surgery. Now, we are moving a step further.

Doctors often tell patients with liver disease that they shouldn't use acetaminophen, a common over-the-counter pain reliever. Acetaminophen is broken down by the liver and can form byproducts that are toxic to the liver, so this warning is not completely without merit. But take it from a hepatologist, acetaminophen is the best option for pain relief for people with liver disease. Read on to learn why.

When someone comes through the doors of a hospital, it may be one of the most vulnerable moments of their life. When your health fails, you depend on experienced and knowledgeable providers to give you the best care possible. At Swedish, we believe everyone deserves that level of care, no matter who they are or their ability to pay. We take this commitment very seriously.

A caregiver recently noticed and shared the following “rave” from a community member that was published in The Seattle Times on May 1. These stories are humbling and fill me with pride. Health care is a complex and challenging environment to work in — most days are fulfilling but there are hard, draining days. In the midst of it all, our teams of caregivers remain constant in their compassion.

Anticoagulants and antithrombotics, commonly known as blood thinners, are used for a variety of medical conditions. They are particularly useful in preventing strokes and heart attacks in many people. But they also can cause bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, which can be life threatening in rare cases.

The FDA just finalized its new Nutrition Facts Label, which will now include the amount of added sugar found in packaged foods. While this is great news, parents still need to be vigilant when it comes to sources of hidden sugar in foods. This blog highlights key points to remember.